Biographies

Mr. Jimmy C. Tallent is Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Tallent has served as Chief Executive Officer of United from the time it was formed in 1988 and has served as Chairman of the Board since February 2015. He has also served as Chief Executive Officer of United’s wholly-owned subsidiary, United Community Bank, since 1984. Under Mr. Tallent’s leadership, United has grown from a small, one-branch banking operation in the rural community of Blairsville, Georgia to the third largest bank holding company headquartered in Georgia with $10.7 billion in assets and 139 offices covering four states in the Southeast. Mr. Tallent is a member of the board of directors of Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and serves as a Trustee of Young Harris College. He is a former member of the State Board for the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education and the Global Health Action board of directors. Mr. Tallent has also served as the Georgia State YMCA Finance Chairman. Mr. Tallent’s many professional accomplishments include being honored with the Georgia Economic Developers Association’s Spirit of Georgia Award, which was presented to Mr. Tallent in 1999. This award is presented annually to a Georgia business executive who has demonstrated superior ability, originality, potential impact and courage in business development. For ten consecutive years, Georgia Trend magazine has recognized Mr. Tallent as one of the “100 Most Influential Georgians.” In 2007, Mr. Tallent was honored with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Financial Services in the Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee region. Mr. Tallent attended Young Harris College and Piedmont College and is a graduate of the Georgia Banking School.

Mr. H. Lynn Harton has been promoted as President, Chief Operating Officer, Director of the Company. Mr. Harton has served as Chief Operating Officer of United since September 2012. Prior to joining United, from 2010 to 2012, Mr. Harton was Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Banking-South of Toronto-Dominion Bank (“TD Bank”). From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Harton served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The South Financial Group (“TSFG”), and from 2007 to 2009 was Chief Risk and Chief Credit Officer of the same company. During his time at TSFG, Mr. Harton raised capital to support TSFG during the financial crisis, negotiated the sale of the company to TD Bank, and, post-sale, led the successful integration of TSFG into TD Bank. Prior to joining TSFG, from 2003-2007 Mr. Harton was Chief Credit Officer of Regions Financial Corporation and Union Planters Corporation. He also has previously held various executive positions at BB&T. Mr. Harton earned his bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and has participated in various executive programs at Duke University, Wharton, Columbia, Northwestern, University of North Carolina and University of South Carolina. He is a member of the RMA National Community Bank Council and a member of the RMA Board of Directors. He also has served on a number of additional financial boards and committees throughout his career, including the Palmetto Business Forum, RMA National Credit Risk Council, CBA National Small Business Banking Committee, and the Equifax Small Business Financial Exchange.

Mr. Jefferson L. Harralson serves as Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President of the Company. Harralson joins United from Keefe, Bruyette and Woods ("KBW"), where he was a managing director. He joined KBW as vice president in 2002, and was charged with rebuilding the firm's Southeastern Bank Research effort after the events of September 11, 2001. He has led KBW's small and midsized bank research team, and most recently, was associate director of research for the entire firm. Harralson has spent his career focused on the banking industry, particularly small and midsized banks. Harralson currently resides in Atlanta, GA, but will move to Greenville, SC, where he will be based. Harralson received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Washington & Lee University and his master's degree in finance from Georgia State University. He currently serves on Georgia State's J. Mack Robinson College of Business Advisory Board.

Mr. William M. Gilbert is President - Community Banking of the company. He is currently responsible for overseeing 30 community banks with 139 offices. Prior to 2014, Mr. Gilbert served as the Director of Banking from 2012 to 2013, Regional President from 2011 to 2013 and Head of Retail Banking from 2003 to 2011. Before joining United, he was the President of Farmers and Merchants Bank and is a past chairman of the Georgia Board of Natural Resources.

Mr. Robert A. Edwards is Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer of the Company. He is currently responsible for oversight of the credit culture and delivering solid credit performance for United. Mr. Edwards has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining United, he served as an Executive Credit Officer over Credit Policy and Risk Reporting and Analytics at TD Bank. He also served as the Chief Credit Officer at The South Financial Group.

Mr. W. C. Nelson, Jr., is Lead Independent Director of the Company. Mr. Nelson has served on the Board of United since its formation in 1988 and has served as Lead Director since February 2015, Chairman from March 2012 through February 2015 and Vice Chairman from 1992 through March 2012. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Bank since 1974. Mr. Nelson is the Co-Owner and Operator of Nelson Tractor Co. in Blairsville, Georgia, a dealer of farm and light industrial equipment established by the Nelson family in 1949. In this capacity, he has served on the Ford Tractor National Dealer Council as well as the Kubota National Dealer Advisory Board representing southeast U.S. dealers. Mr. Nelson attended Young Harris College and The Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a member-emeritus of the Union County Development Board where he previously served as a member for more than 30 years and as Chairman for 15 years. Mr. Nelson is currently on the Young Harris Board of Associates and the Blairsville Downtown Development Authority and formerly served as a member of the Tennessee Valley Authority Regional Resource Stewardship Council for 12 years.

Mr. Robert H. Blalock is Independent Director of United Community Banks, Inc. Mr. Blalock has been Chief Executive Officer of Blalock Insurance Agency, Inc. in Clayton, Georgia, since 1974. He served as an organizing director of First Clayton Bank and Trust when the bank was formed in 1988. He was a member of the board of directors and served on the Compensation and Audit Committees for First Clayton Bank and Trust, which was acquired by United in 1997, and was past Chairman of the Board. Mr. Blalock remains on the community bank board of United Community Bank — Clayton (the former First Clayton Bank and Trust) and joined United’s Board in 2000. Mr. Blalock is a graduate of University of Georgia and served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army. He served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the 101 Airborne Division. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Clayton board of directors from 1974 to 1991 and served as the club’s Vice President.

Ms. L. Cathy Cox is Independent Director of United Community Banks, Inc. Ms. Cox has served as President of Young Harris College, a private, liberal arts college in North Georgia, since 2007. In her time at the college, she has moved the college from two-year to four-year status, doubled student enrollment and the size of the faculty of the institution and added more than $100 million in new facilities to the campus. Prior to joining the college, Ms. Cox was twice elected to serve as the Georgia Secretary of State. In this role she served as Commissioner of Securities, overseeing the regulation of the securities industry within the state, and she also participated in one of the largest ever national settlements against national investment banks for state and federal law violations. Ms. Cox was twice elected to the Georgia House of Representatives where she served on the House Judiciary Committee; Game, Fish and Parks Committee; State Institutions and Properties Committee; Georgia Code Revision Commission and various House study committees. Prior to her public service, Ms. Cox worked as an attorney, first as an associate with Hansell & Post in Atlanta, Georgia, and then as a partner with Lambert, Floyd & Conger in Bainbridge, Georgia. She started her professional career as a newspaper reporter. Ms. Cox holds an A.S. degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, an A.B.J. degree from University of Georgia and a J.D. degree from Mercer University School of Law. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Mercer Law Review.

Mr. Kenneth L. Daniels is Independent Director of United Community Banks, Inc. Mr. Daniels began his career at First Union National Bank (now Wells Fargo) where he served as a Senior Commercial Loan Officer and Commercial Financial Analyst. In 1983, he joined BB&T and led various credit and risk management functions as the company grew from $2 billion to $187 billion in assets. In 2003, he was promoted to Chief Credit Risk and Policy Officer and later to Senior Risk Advisor, a position he held until his retirement in 2014. Mr. Daniels is past President and Chair of both the Carolinas/Virginia Chapter and the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the Risk Management Association (“RMA”). During his career, he served on the RMA’s National Agricultural Lending Council, the National Credit Risk Council, the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses Roundtable and the Commercial Risk Grading Roundtable. He graduated from the RMA/Wharton Advanced Risk Management Program at The Wharton School of Business and also earned an M.B.A. degree at East Carolina University and a bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Mr. Thomas A. Richlovsky is Independent Director of United Community Banks, Inc. Mr. Richlovsky served as Executive Vice President at PNC Financial Services Group Inc. from 2009 to 2011 following PNC’s acquisition of National City Corporation in December 2008. While at PNC, he assisted with the integration of National City’s financial functions as well as managed or co-managed several areas within the PNC finance group. Mr. Richlovsky was Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer of National City at the time of its acquisition by PNC. During his 30-year tenure with National City (1978-2008), he assumed progressively greater responsibilities and gained extensive financial, accounting and treasury expertise. At the time of the sale of National City and subsequent integration into PNC, he was a key executive and assisted in the transition with regulators, investors and other external constituents. Mr. Richlovsky began his career as an auditor in 1973 with Ernst & Ernst, a predecessor firm of Ernst & Young LLP, in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Richlovsky received his bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University and is a certified public accountant.

Mr. David C. Shaver is Independent Director of the Company. Mr. Shaver is Chief Executive Officer and founder of Cost Segregation Advisors, LLC, a national income tax advisory services company formed in 2006 in Atlanta as an outgrowth of Shaver’s accounting practice that focuses on commercial real estate owners and leaseholders. Previously, Shaver was an initial partner with Tatum Partners, now a division of Randstad, and was Chief Financial Officer and an equity partner of International Automotive Corp. Inc. Shaver’s prior experience also includes serving as Controller for The Home Depot, Inc., where he directed financial operations, financial planning and other matters. Prior to his experience with The Home Deposit, Inc., Mr. Shaver served as Controller for a W.R Grace Retail Group subsidiary and as Controller for Anomalous, Inc., an international subsidiary of Levi Strauss & Co. Mr. Shaver is active in his community as well and, for two years, has devoted himself to forensic accounting and crisis management for his church in the office of the finance manager. Mr. Shaver received his bachelor’s degree from University of Tennessee, is a certified public accountant licensed in Georgia and Tennessee and is a member of The American Institute of CPAs, Georgia Society of CPAs, Tennessee Society of CPAs and MENSA. Mr. Shaver qualifies as a financial expert on the Audit Committee.

Mr. Tim R. Wallis is Independent Director of United Community Banks, Inc. Mr. Wallis is Owner and President of Wallis Printing in Rome, Georgia. Previously, he worked in production and sales at what was then Brazelton-Wallis Printing Company from 1974 until 1985, when he became Owner and President. In addition to serving on the Board of United, Mr. Wallis also serves as Chairman on the community bank board of United Community Bank — Rome. He has served on the board of directors of the Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia (“PIAG”) and was Chairman of the association’s Government Relations Committee. In this capacity he worked directly with PIAG legislative liaisons at both the state and national levels. Mr. Wallis currently serves on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He also has served on the Darlington School Board of Trustees, Georgia Southern College Foundation Board of Trustees, Rome/Floyd YMCA Board of Trustees and the United Way of Rome and Floyd County Board of Trustees. He is a graduate of Georgia Southern University.

Mr. David H. Shaver is Independent Director of the Company. Mr. Wilkins is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Greenville, South Carolina and chairs the Public Policy and International Law practice group with a special focus on U.S. - Canada interests. He proudly served as U.S. ambassador to Canada from June 2005 to January 2009, appointed by President George W. Bush. Since returning to South Carolina from Canada, Ambassador Wilkins spent six years chairing the Clemson University Board of Trustees and remains an active member of that board. He is on the Board of Directors of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and is a member of both the South Carolina Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Additionally, he sits on the boards of Porter Airlines, Mattamy Homes and Resolute Forest Products. In 2010, then South Carolina's Governor-elect Nikki Haley tapped Wilkins to chair government transition team. First elected in 1980, Ambassador Wilkins served 25 years in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was elected speaker in 1994 – a position he held for 11 years until he resigned for his ambassadorship post. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the state's highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto. Mr. Wilkins received his bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and his J.D. degree from University of South Carolina School of Law.

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